Mostly the "Public Speaks" portion of Stark County commissioner meetings is left to go begging for the president of the board of commissioners to get somebody, anybody to step forward and address/question/implore the commissioners with this or that topic.

When Tom Bernabei was a commissioner and president of the body, he made that part of the agenda a more or less funny interlude in the meeting by asking this person and that person (i.e. media types, persons at the meeting as a commissioner resource, et cetera).

Yesterday, there was no need a la Bernabei to go begging as a Stark County retired (about 10 years) union official (business agent, Local 94 Plumbers and Pipefitter) for nearly a quarter of a century and now a activist for the Alliance of Retired Americans (LINK) - Daniel J. Fonte - made a big splash at yesterday's meeting.

His proposed resolution for the commissioners to consider.

Here is his videotaped plea:

As viewers of the foregoing video can see, it appears to the SCPR that Fonte is going to get absolutely nowhere with this board of commissioners in his quest to get them to go on record in opposing the Trans-Pacific Partnership global trade agreement which the Obama administration is trying to get the United States Congress to approve.

Recently, Republican Speaker of the House Paul Ryan said that there are not enough votes to pass the agreement which President Obama signed on February 3, 2016.

The theme of this blog is that whether or not the Stark County Board of Commissioners will venture out of "strictly" Stark County issues waters in taking action or a stand.

The answer?

It likely depends on the intensity of the topic to various commissioners and the underlying political philosophy of a majority of the commissioners.

Most of the support for TPP in Congress comes from the Republicans.

Two of three of the present commissioners (Creighton and Regula) are Republicans and is a "nominal" Democrat.

The Report doubts that Creighton and Regula are tapped into the Congressional Republicans generalized support of TAP but likely are not all that well informed about the issue and therefore recoiled at the suggestion that they might want to weigh-in as a board on the issue.

It's not as they seem to indicate in the video that its beyond their province to consider taking a position as they are on record as opposing certain aspects of Obamacare. Creighton and Regula clothe their opposition in protecting taxpayer interests however the SCPR suspects that their opposition runs much deeper than that.

Witness this SCPR video from a February, 2015 commissioners meeting (LINK to blog):

As is commonly known, many if not all of Republican officialdom are intensely if not fanatically opposed to Obamacare wheres many if not all of Democratic officialdom are intensely if not fanatically in favor of the core approach to Obamacare.

For Commissioner Bridenstine to say that the commissioners to take a stance on an issue just because there is controversy about it is absolutely ridiculous.

What rock has he been hiding under?

Recently, the commissioners passed an ordinance supporting the effort of a local group who is pushing for an enhanced Stark County broadband infrastructure, to wit:

Some people/entities (e.g. Google, Verizon, ATT and Massillon Cable) think that the government should stay out of the broadband controversy. To them, it is a business thing; not a government thing.

Commissioner Richard Regula at commissioner meetings frequently beats the drum for the widening of U.S. 30 from Stark County to the Pennsylvania stateline.

There are those who think that there are much greater priorities to use government funds on.

Not long ago, the commissioners considered a request for support by a group opposed to the NEXUS natural gas pipeline that will cross parts of Stark County.

Canton City Council Democrats have enthusiastically embraced Fonte on the TPP issue when he appeared before that body on February 8th.

And as seen in the following video interview, Fonte says he is not finished with the commissioners and that he has plans to ask city councils in Alliance, Massillon and North Canton to join Canton in opposing TPP.

It could be that Canton council Democrat Kevin Fisher and John Mariol will be elected Stark County commissioner in the November, 2016 election.

If that happens and if the TPP issue is still unresolved in Congress, what do you think that a Stark County Board of Commissioners composed of Republican Janet Creighton, Democrats Kevin Fisher and John Mariol will do with respect to the Fonte request?

A rhetorical question, no?

Such an unfolding would be the perfect political storm for Dan Fonte.

The intensity will be there with Fisher and Mariol and the timing would be absolutely perfect.

So come January 3, 2017 (the first meeting of the board of commissioners with two new members), could it be that Dan Fonte will there with a renewed request that the commissioners weigh-in in opposition to TPP?

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B.A. - Political Science
J.D.
AN INDEPENDENT MINDED POLITICAL COMMENTATOR
Until 1976 I was a Republican. Since then I have considered myself a Democrat. So after long term stints of being a Republican, then a Democrat, I have come to the political position I feel most comfortable with - being an INDEPENDENT MINDED ANALYST who demands effectiveness of our politicians - Republican, Democrat or whatever.
I have changed my political affiliation to "non-partisan" by not voting in either political party primary election.